Pathway to the NRL is there for talented players

THE Sunshine Coast Falcons appearance in Sunday's Intrust Super Cup grand final against minor premiers PNG Hunters is a fantastic reward for 2016/17 efforts but also a tribute to the efforts of so many volunteers since the club was born out of a conversation in Billy Moore's Earth Restaurant just over a decade ago.

The people in that meeting all had one agenda, a pathway for local kids to get into a higher level competition and hopefully some to the NRL, and stopping the pilfering of our junior players south to Redcliffe and other Brisbane clubs.

Well done to the club, then called the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles, when they won the 2009 title as a feeder team to Manly.

But it really excites me to see the Falcons - with the trademark black and gold of the local league with a history of more than 90 years - representing a region tomorrow.

Just like 2009, yes, we have assistance from an NRL club, in the Melbourne Storm, and again like 2009 it is a necessity to have that support. Without it, it couldn't exist.

I remember at last year's annual dinner saying that if I had my choice of Falcons players getting an NRL contract or winning a premiership I wasn't sure which I would take, after Tui Kamikamica and Ryley Jacks signed with the Storm.

This season local boys Lachlan Timm and Louis Geraghty have both penned deals with the the Storm for 2018, which is precisely what the men at the meeting dreamt of.

The pathway is there.

To our major sponsor Vantage Homes and all our generous sponsors, season ticket holders, supporters and volunteers a big thank-you for sticking with us over some trying times.

Thank you to the Sunshine Coast Council and our local media for their fantastic support.

You can all be comfortable with the fact that whatever happens Sunday afternoon that this young group of men, their coach and support staff will give everything they have to get a result and if the Hunters win it will be well deserved.